The Broken Road
by samanddianefan10
Summary: Daphne, newly divorced from Donny, must learn to live life again as well as to deal with all of the feelings that come along with a divorce. In the process, she leans heavily upon her best friend Niles, but will she ever be able to love again? A surprise for the awesome Kristen3 who really does so much to keep this board going.
1. Chapter 1

Daphne Douglas was going about her day, folding laundry and other mundane housework, but today was no ordinary day. Her husband of almost a year, Donny, had called her to say that he would have a surprise for her that day, and that she should stay home. She had to admit to be taken by surprise; Donny was not the most affectionate of husbands. In the beginning he'd given her small tokens of affection, but nothing too grand. It didn't matter, in the long run. Growing up in Manchester the youngest of a large family, she really wasn't used to surprises, not really. According to Simon the biggest surprise to happen to the Moon family was Daphne herself. She sighed, thinking of her brother. It was a bit disheartening growing up believing that she was an accident. But after confiding that secret to her best friend Niles, he'd promptly reassured her that there were no accidents. It was only after he'd left their coffee meeting that she remembered that Frasier was the Freudian, not him. Still, it was so sweet of him to try to reassure her.

She looked at the clock. Noon. Still a whole day ahead of her, a whole household of chores awaiting her, Daphne didn't really care about any of that at the moment. Her favorite soap opera was on, so she made herself a cup of tea and started to veg out in front of the television.

_"Oh, Dack, you're so dreamy. I had never dreamed of ever finding you again. And then when you found out that I'd given away your child all those years ago..." The show's heroine, Marilee, sighed as she looked deeply into her lover's eyes._

"_Oh, but how could I ever hate you? You were but a child of nineteen when you gave away our son. Even though I've been remarried over and over again, I knew-always- that it was you who had my heart. Always have, always will."_

As the fictional couple fell into a passionate embrace, Daphne smiled and sighed to herself. Yes, Donny thought these shows were corny and below her, but she didn't care. A little romantic daydreaming in the afternoon never hurt anyone.

Soon the couple were starting to disrobe, and she sat up in the chair, looking forward to the love scene that was promised. Of course, being a soap opera, the actually lovemaking might not be revealed onscreen until the next month, but still, Daphne found herself being drawn in to the characters' fondness for each other.

Suddenly the doorbell rang, causing her to nearly spill her tea.

"Oh, bloody hell," Daphne muttered to herself. "Who could it …."

Then she remembered. Donny had promised her a surprise. What could it be, she giggled as her imagination ran as she made her way to the door. Flowers? Candy? Even better...jewelry?

She smiled broadly as she opened the door to receive her caller.

"Daphne Douglas?" The man returned her smile.

"Yes, that's me."

"I have something for you." He presented her with an envelope, wished her a good day, then walked away.

An envelope? What could possibly be in that...maybe vacation plans. That was it. Donny must have remembered her lifelong dream to visit Hawaii, and had taken the liberty to surprise her. Unable to wait any longer, she tore open the envelope then pulled out the papers.

As she read through them, her heart sank and her eyes filled with tears. This was not what she had expected at all. Instead of a grand romantic gesture, Donny had just broken her heart. Those papers were not vacation plans; instead they were the initiation of divorce papers.

She tearfully read through them again to make sure this was real, that it was not his sick idea of a joke. Not that it would have been; Donny being a divorce lawyer did not like to joke around these matters. But there in front of her in black-and-white was the undeniable proof that her biggest fear had come true- her husband no longer loved her. Had he ever, really?

She tried to call Roz, but according to Frasier she had taken a lunch date with her newest suitor and would not be back for half an hour. Frasier asked if he could help, but she couldn't reveal this to her employer, not now anyhow.

Then an idea came to her mind. True, the other Dr. Crane was technically also her employer, but he'd grown to mean so much more to her than that over the years. He was the kindest, sweetest, most attentive friend she'd ever had, and she knew that he would do anything for her, if only offer a hug and support.

Yes. She knew what she had do to. Daphne grabbed her car keys, locked the door behind her, and made her way to her best friend's office.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Daphne sat nervously in the waiting area, knowing Niles would be with her shortly. He was supposed to go to lunch in a few minutes, but after learning that Daphne had stopped by to pay him a visit, he decided to order lunch for two. After finishing up with his patient, he stepped out into the waiting area and smiled at the sight of his most unexpected of visitors.

"Daphne, what a pleasant surprise! I hope this is a friendly visit- although I hope you know that my door's always open for you." Judging by the look on her face, he knew that it wouldn't be just a friendly visit. "Daphne, come in. Mrs. Woodson, will you please call me when lunch has arrived?"

After Daphne settled on the chair facing Niles, she had no idea where to begin.

"Daphne...I can see that something is troubling you. While I cannot treat you as a psychiatrist, I hope you know that I consider you a dear, dear friend- probably the best friend that I've ever had, and would be more than happy to help you if there is something on your mind."

"Oh, Dr. Crane," she sighed. "I don't...I don't even know where to begin."

"Well...at least can you tell me what it's about, so we can have a starting point? Is it your mother- has she been pressuring you for grandkids again?"

"If it were only that simple. No, Dr. Crane. I don't think me mum will be asking for grandchildren from me...not now nor ever," Daphne sighed.

Very concerned, Niles tried his best to guess what was at the heart of Daphne's troubles. "Has there been...has there been an accident? I know this is none of my business, but I hope you know I only want to help..."

"Thank you, Dr. Crane. You're so kind. You've always been so kind to me. No, I haven't lost a child, if that's what you were wondering."

"Then what..."

"Dr. Crane...remember that night on the balcony, right before I married Donny?"

How could Niles forget? It was the night he finally declared his love to Daphne, who at first seemed to return his affections. But after some thinking, she had decided that she owed it to Donny and to Mel and to everyone in her life to marry Donny. It had broken his heart to know that she might have loved him had he not married Mel. Knowing that his heart still belonged to another, he'd quickly divorced Mel and threw himself into his work, accepting that a life of celibacy might be in the cards for him.

"Yes, Daphne. I remember..."

"Oh, Dr. Crane," Daphne started to cry. "I think I made a mistake, a terrible, terrible mistake!"

More confused than ever, Niles tried to find the right words to comfort her. "What are you saying?"

"It's Donny. He wants a divorce!"

Niles was more than furious. Donny had won the heart of the most beautiful, amazing woman in the world, and for him to throw away her love...that was unfathomable! "Are you sure? Maybe you two had a fight, and sometimes couples say things in the heat of the moment that they don't mean..."

She handed him the divorce papers, and then he saw why her heart was so broken. It had taken them months to reestablish their friendship, but eventually they had, and Niles could not recall a single conversation where Daphne thought that her marriage would not work out. "Oh, Daphne, I'm so sorry. If there's anything you need, anything I can do or say..."

"That's awfully kind of you, Dr. Crane. But it's me bed. I made it, and now I must lie in it. I just wish..." Daphne stared out the window wistfully, leading Niles to wonder what she was thinking.

"Please...you can stay with me if you like, until you can sort things out," Niles offered.

"Oh, Dr. Crane, I couldn't, I just couldn't. That's awfully kind of you, but I still am a married woman and until I know what in the world Donny is thinking..."

"Of course. I only want what's best for you, Daphne."

"May I make a confession, Dr. Crane?" Daphne asked softly.

"Of course."

"I think about...what might have been. I think about it all the time. But I suppose all of that business is a lifetime away. There's no point in looking back, is there?"

With all of his heart, Niles wanted to say that while they couldn't look back, they could go forward. That this might be the sign that she'd been looking for to let her know that Niles, not Donny, was her true love. But as much as he wanted to, he couldn't impose his fantasies on her, not at her lowest. Instead, he recognized that she came to him as a friend, and a friend he would be. Even if it killed him, he would keep his feelings for her to himself. After all, he'd gotten used to hiding his love for Daphne.

"No, I suppose not," Niles sighed.

"Oh, Dr. Crane...what if..."

"Yes?"

"What if it was you I was supposed to marry, not Donny? I knew you loved me and I was so scared..I hope you don't hate me for that," Daphne stood up and took his hand in hers.

"Daphne, there is something you should know. I have never, ever, ever stopped..."

"Yes?" Daphne's eyes met his, and for a moment Niles thought he was dreaming. This was it. The moment he'd been waiting a lifetime for. He closed his eyes, ready to kiss Daphne, to let her know that it wasn't over for them, at least in his heart.

Suddenly the moment was broken by the sound of Daphne's cell phone. Reluctantly, she pulled away and grabbed her phone from her purse.

"It's Donny. I really should take this..."

"Of course."

And once more their near-kiss only served to remind Niles that he would never, ever stop loving that woman. Never.

tbc


End file.
